Roller skate



-V. J. POWER ROLLER SKATE June 19, 1951 Filed April 25, 1947 Patented June 19,, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,557,233 ROLLER SKATE 'Vincent J. Power, Garden'Clty, Kans. Application April 25, 19 17, Serial No. 743,823

2 Claims. (01. 2801'1.23)

1 This invention relates to a roller skate, and more particularly to a roller skate of the shoeattached, two-wheel style.

to be attached to the sole plate for increasing the strength of the construction.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of improved wheel mounting for such a skate characterized by means whereby side drag on the wheels will not disalign the same.

A further object of the invention is the provision'of such a skatewhich is sturdy and durable in construction, reliable and eflicient in operation, and relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, assemble and utilize.

Other objects will in part'be obvious and in part be pointed out as the description of the invention proceeds, and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of one form of skate embodying features of'the instant invention, shown as applied to a skating shoe.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the construction shown in Figure 1.

'of the bottom of the housing and illustrating a slot formed therein.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is generally indicated at It) a skate shoe of any desired conventional type, provided with a sole plate I I. Adapted to be secured to the sole plate II is a housing I2 of generally V-shaped crosssectional area, as best shown in Figure 3. The housing 12 is provided with a peripheral flange 13, adapted to be secured, as by bolts or rivets hi, to the sole of the shoe, the upper portion of the housing l2 conforming in general outline to the sole ll of the shoe. The V-shaped housing 12 is provided in its bottotm and at its transverse center with forward and rear longitudinally spaced, elongated slots l5, which extend longi- 'tudinally of the housing, as shown. The opposite-sideedgesof the slots 1 5 have laterally, opporanged adjacent to the notches l6 and have their upper portions extending into the notches and above the bottom of the housing [2, Figure 1. Short, transverse axles ii) are secured within the inner races of the ballbearings l8, and forward and 'rear wheels 28 are mounted upon the axles 19 and arrangedbetween the ball bearings for free rotation with the axles l9. The upper portions of the wheels 20 project upwardly through the narrow slots l5 and into the housing 12, as shown. The tops of the wheels 20 are disposed near and spaced below the sole plate II. The wheels 20 include transversely curved, peripheral flanges 2!, having tires 22 of hard rubber, syntheticrubber or the like, mounted thereon. The bearings I8 and associated elements are rigidly connected with the housing l2 by means of pairs having their upper portions mounted within the notches l6 and projecting :above the bottom of the housing l2, asshown. The inner, longitudinal 'edges of the upper pairs of bearing brackets 23 are disposed flush with the opposite longitudinal edges ofttheslots .I 5, Figure 2, and the upper hearing brackets 23 of the pairs are transversely aligned. The pairs of upper bearing brackets 23 are permanently rigidly secured to the bottom of the housing i2 and within the notches It by welding or the like, and the upper bearing brackets include forward and rear, horizontally disposed lugs 24, provided with screw-threaded openings 24. The lugs 24 project a slight distance below the bottom of the housing 12. The top portions of the ball bearings l8 engage within the upper arcuate bearing brackets 23, and pairs of bottom arcuate bearing brackets or straps 25 engage about the bottoms of the outer races of the ball bearings for clamping the ball bearings securely in place between the upper and lower bearing brackets. The bottom bearing brackets 25 include forward and rear apertured ears or lugs 21 receiving screws 28 which engage in the screwthreaded openings 24 of the upper bearing brackets 23 for rigidly clamping the outer races of the ball bearing H8 in place between the upper and lower bearing brackets. The lower bearing brackets 25 are disposed bodily beneath the bottom of the housing [2, and the axles [9 are arranged slightly below the bottom of the housing, both axles being at the same elevation. The wheels 2|! are thus freely rotatable both with the inner races of the ball bearings, and substantially the entire upper half of each wheel extends above its associated slot I5 and into the housing l2. The arrangement is highly compact, simplified and extremely sturdy.

From the foregoing, it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved two-wheeled skate characterized by a mounting of material rigidity, due to the fact that the wheels are borne solely by the metallic housing 12, which obviates disaligmnent of the skate wheels upon side drag thereon, and which accomplishes all the objects of this invention, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment thereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A shoe type roller skate comprising a sole plate secured to the bottom of the shoe, an elongated hollow housing secured to the bottom of the sole plate and extending for the entire length of the sole plate, the hollow housing being substantially V-shaped in transverse cross-section and being of substantially uniform width throughout the entire length of the housing, the housing being provided adjacent to its forward and rear ends and in its bottom with forward and rear longitudinally spaced elongated slots, pairs of laterally oppositely disposed upper bearing brackets arranged upon opposite sides of the slots and secured to the housing and projecting into the housing, pairs of lower removable bearing brackets arranged below the upper bearing brackets and in substantial vertical alignment therewith, fastener means connecting the upper and lower bearing brackets, bearings mounted between the pairs of upper and lower bearing brackets and secured in place thereby, axles journaled within the bearings for rotation, the axles being disposed below the bottom of the housing, and wheels mounted upon the axles for rotation therewith and disposed between the bearings and upper and lower pairs of bearing brackets, the wheels extending through said slots and having their upper portions projecting into the housing above the slots.

2. A shoe type roller skate comprising a substantially fiat horizontal sole plate secured to the bottom of the shoe, and elongated hollow housing secured to the bottom of the sole plate and extending for substantially the entire length of the sole plate, said housing being substantially V-shaped in transverse cross-section and having a substantially uniform width throughout its entire length for forming a box structure, the housing being provided in its bottom and at its transverse center and near its opposite ends with narrow elongated longitudinally spaced slots, the slots extending longitudinally of the housing and being provided in their opposite longitudinal edges with laterally oppositely disposed notches, pairs of laterally oppositely disposed upper arouate bearing brackets arranged upon opposite sides of the slots and having their top portions positioned within the notches and permanently secured to the housing, the inner opposed edges of the upper bearing brackets being substantially flush with the opposite longitudinal edges of the slots, pairs of lower arcuate removable bearing brackets disposed beneath the upper bearing brackets and adjacent to the opposite longitudinal edges of the slots, said lower bearing brackets being disposed bodily beneath the bottom of the housing, screw means connecting said upper and 'lower pairs of bearing brackets for clamping the same together, pairs of laterally spaced ball bearings disposed between the pairs of upper and lower bearing brackets and clamped in place between the same, the ball bearings being disposed uponopposite sides of the slots and arranged in axial alignment, transverse axles journaled within the ball bearings for rotation and disposed below the bottom of the housing, and wheels mounted upon the transverse axles for rotation therewith and disposed between the pairs of ball bearings and bearing brackets, the wheels extending through the slots in the bottom of the housing and upwardly into the housing, the tops of the wheels being disposed near the bottom of the sole plate.

VINCENT J. POWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 282,156 Burton July 31, 1883 1,185,484 Cooper May 30, 1916 1,700,058 Katuby Jan. 22, 1929 2,197,519 Demerse Apr. 16, 1940 2,245,769 Flamm June 17, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 213,628 Switzerland May 16, 1941 

